Monday, April 19, 2010

I don't own a flat screen TV or a Wii, but I contribute to my Roth IRA and my kid's college funds monthly.

Basically, I think my money looks cuter in a saving account than spent on expensive clothes.

I just finished reading a book that makes me feel better about my inexpensive wardrobe and the fact we're a double Toyota family (as opposed to all the BMWs and Lexus' cruising around my neck of the woods).

The author conducts surveys of millionaires and asks them all kinds of questions, such as what brand of suits they buy, what type of cars they drive and how much did their home cost.

Want to guess what type of car most millionaires drive? Good old reliable uncool Toyota.

Turns out most people who live in million dollar homes aren't actually millionaires. And more importantly aren't likely to become one even if they make good money because they are spending so much maintaining their lifestyles.

If you're looking for encouragement to stick to a budget this is a great read. I'm probably not doing it justice, but it was very interesting and definitely worth the time.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

The baby went through one hell of a growth spurt. Normally she is a happy, easy baby, but this past week was brutal.

I'm nursing her so I spent the week ravenous and deliriously tired (and a little whiny if I'm being honest). At least she's cute.

The crazy week was topped off with a huge serving of insecurity.

We went to a wedding for one of my husband's coworkers last night. I used to work in the same building so the guest list included tons of people I haven't seen since my pre-baby days.

I was ridiculously nervous about the whole thing.

I'm within 10 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight, but stuff isn't exactly where it used to be. I haven't had a haircut since January. I didn't get a chance to buy the killer new outfit like I had planned.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

I don't mind paying a reasonable amount of taxes.

Obviously, I don't want to give away my money, but I appreciate roads, water treatment systems, public schools, libraries, knowing the department of defense has my back, and all the other wonderful things that go along with being an American citizen.

According to the article, about 47% will pay no federal income taxes for 2009.

I'm sure it makes sense to limit the taxation of the poor. But half the population?

The article also said "The bottom 40 percent, on average, make a profit from the federal income tax, meaning they get more money in tax credits than they would otherwise owe in taxes. For those people, the government sends them a payment."

Making a profit from taxes seems wrong to me. Really wrong.

I'm not sure how we should calculate a fair share when it comes to taxes, but I think it's pretty fair to say we're not there yet.------------“Elections should be held on April 16th- the day after we pay our income taxes. That is one of the few things that might discourage politicians from being big spenders.” - Thomas Sowell

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

On my last post, several comments suggested introducing quiet time now that my son stopped napping.

I have tried it, but things haven't gone smoothly.

Exhibit A: I heard my son yelling "wheeeee!" and a big thump over the monitor so I decided I better check out what was going on during "quiet" time.

He was riding his big wheel off his bed.

Exhibit B: After about a 15 minutes of suspiciously quiet time, I decided I better check on him.

He was dancing to his music, completely naked. I could handle this, but he's not potty trained and likes to pee on the floor. Luckily, the worst thing on the floor was pee.

Prior to this, I didn't even know he could take his clothes off by himself. Definitely noted.

Exhibit C: My son happily stayed in his room for an entire half hour. I timed it so that his quiet time coincided with the baby's nap. Basically I was feeling like a rock star and was giving myself all kinds of mental pats on the back.

Then I heard over the monitor "Mommy, it's snowing."

He had emptied an enormous brand new bottle of baby powder all over his room. (And gotten naked for good measure.)

Baby powder was everywhere. He was absolutely covered in it. His hair was entirely white.

He had opened his dresser drawers, sprinkled it in his closet, all over his bed, on every toy....you get the picture. It honestly looked like it had snowed.

I'm still not sure how he got the powder because it was up high on a shelf on the wall. Based on the trail of baby powder footprints going up his bookshelf, he must also be perfecting his spider man moves.

So I'm letting go of the dream of quiet time in his room.

The new routine is to for him to play quietly by himself in the living room after lunch so I get a few things done and can keep visual contact on him. So far it's working well and I haven't had any disasters.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

I know it's an overused cliche to say it's amazing how quickly the time goes, but it doesn't make it less true.

It really doesn't seem very long ago that I was handed a tiny blanket wrapped boy in the delivery room.

Now he's a running, yelling, wonderful wild three year old boy.

I don't think I fully appreciated how fast it would all go with my son. I was so caught up in the daily drama that I didn't step back enough and just enjoy him.

With my daughter, I have a much better appreciation for the baby phase. For better or worse, the sleepless nights just don't last very long.

My baby girl is only three months old and she has already changed so much. She flashes huge smiles, giggles and flirts like crazy. Her newest accomplish is rolling over (and she's quite proud of herself).

It's hard to accept that in a short time she'll be running after my son.

I just want to hit the pause button and keep them just the way they are a little longer.

Every single baby is a miracle.

Becoming a parent is an ordinary, every day miracle, but when it happens to you it is extraordinary just the same.